Saturday 31 March 2012

ARCHIVE BLOG (2008): 'STAR'-DUST MEMORIES!



It’s not very often these days that rare STAR WARS interviews with the original cast and crew appear online, so its terrific to let you guys know about, via DIGITALFREAKNYC at ORIGINAL TRILOGY.COM, some excellent clips that have surfaced on YOUTUBE recently. The first couple are from a Miami TV station (WTVJ) programme called MONTAGE that did interviews with the main three cast in 1977 (Fisher-young and lovely-bright and smart, Hamill-still very much the totally friendly, accessible and innocent pup like Luke was, and Harrison Ford, again like Han and very much the enthusiastic, but smart-arse smuggler type-but in the cool way that we liked him for), and in May 24th 1980 for EMPIRE (this, though, feels like a less fun affair and a bit different in tone-with Ford and Hamill, out of the main cast interviews, a bit more serious and, despite their friendliness and the Hope/Crosby comedy routine, do I detect the first stirrings of rivalry between them? Billy Dee is equally subdued but still thrilled with EMPIRE as a finished film, and Carrie is starting to show the wry and funny wit, humour and sarcasm that she’d be famous for later. Anthony Daniels is yet to be the convention guest to be afraid of and Irvin Kershner appears briefly almost like a Zen-type Yoda figure!). The interviewer, who does both segments, may be far more serious than he should be, and at times I felt a little patronising, especially to Carrie in 1977, but they are great nostalgic clips that’ll make you young again.

The third is an anniversary piece linked to the Saga’s Tenth Anniversary in 1987 (at least you guys in the US celebrated-we in the UK pretty much had nothing!!) and talks with all three main stars reflecting about what they felt about the films, as well as a terrific clip interview with Sir Alec Guinness-he may tell the same story about how he was involved in the film, but the final moments when he shows his enthusiasm for STAR WARS are priceless-if only he could have have remained as happy to have been associated with it in later life.

Enjoy, before they are eventually removed by spoil-sport copyright trackers!

STAR WARS:


EMPIRE:


ANNIVERSARY:


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